Car brake-head.



"w1 E. IEOWLBR, JR.

UAR B RAKB'HEAD.V l APLIOATIONAEILBD SEPT. 29, 1908.

-J Patented- May 11, 1909.

Vwws I undue strain is brought to bear'upon one c not adequate, owing to T @Firl'iflil y \\`lLLIAM VE. FOWLER, JB., OF llAMIilOND, IXDINA,

ASSIGNOR T() SlMPLllX RAILWAY CAR BRAKE-HEAD.

specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 29, 1908.

Patented May 1 1, 1909. vSerial No. 455,277.

To altivh'om it may 'concerns I I Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. lion/Lian, lr., a citizen olA the United States, residing in Hammond, Indiana, have invented certain new and usefuly Improvements in Car Braketion.

` )dy invention relatesto that class ol'l brake heads which are adjusted Vaxially about the l brake beam and are -provided with ineans for 'l securing them in any fixed position of adl justinent.

Various constructions oif adjustable brake heads have been made and used, in seine of i i 'lien-ds, of which the following is a speciiica- Il lll f which the brake head is rigidly and unyieldingly locked in the fixed osition. When so locked the breakage is ikely to occur by i reason of the i act that when the car is heavily loaded it descends slightly, compressing the carrying springs, and the brake heads are correspondingly lowered; Furtherrnore,Y it. sometimes occurs, owing to careless adjustment, that the brake-heads, when rigidly lixed, do not occupy the proper positions with referenceto the tread oi' the wheels and point oi the brake with the wheel.

lt has been proposed to yieldingly mount the brake heads upon the beams, depending upon the springs or equivalent resilient means i'or holding the brake head in the desired adjusted position, but this provision is the well known difiiculty encountered in the adjustment of the spring tension and. olA maintaining a uniform locking elleet upon the brake head in continued servire.

It is the purpose ol my present invention to provide a brake head which may be locked 'with sufficient rigidity to secure its proper application to the wheel in duc relation to the wheel tread and which 'in improper adjustment or abnormal position, due to the loading of the ear, will automatically adjust itself to a new and unusual position and thereby avoid danger oii' breakage and at the same time present the brake shoe properly to the tread ol the, wheel.

My present im `n'ovement is embodied in an adjustable bralm head which is similar in general torni to that described in my application Serial Number 440,975, filed June 29, 1908, but differs thi'ireiroin in that inmy present improvement the brake head, while head which is inicontact suitably locked to maintain it at all times` in proper braking rr-lation to the car wheels undernormal conditions, is so constructed that it will adjust itself under abnornlal conditions.

. In the accompanying drawings, Figure i is a substantially central vertical section through the brake head and sleeve forming a partof thebrake beam. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-v2 of Fig. l as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 3 is a top plan view oi'v the brake beam sleeve. Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sections illustrating the manner 0l positioning the locking block and wedge in the pocket or recess of the brake head, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged section ol' the locking teeth oi" the sleeve and locking block respectively. I

To the brake beam, which is composed oi' the compression member 10 and the tension rod 11 suitably held together in a manner which need'not be described, is applied the sleeve 12 shown in Fig. 3, said sleeve having an integral ilange 13 which forms an abut@ ment for the inner face ol the brake head. The saidv sleeve is cut away upon its periphery leaving, however, a bearing segment 12 extending longitudinally ol the sleeve and. bearing flanges 13 1`14 extending circumferentially of the sleeve. The depressed portion of said sleeve is provided with iixed. teeth or vserrations 15 which may be parallel to each other and at right angles to the axis of the sleeve. The bearing member 14 is also cut away at two points Mil-14h.

The brake head 16- rnay bc-of any preferred construction of vthe adjustable. type and, as shown, is rovided with a cylindrical hub 17 which. is adapted to tit closely over the sleeve'. The hub has upon its interior an integral key 18 which is of a lengt!z oriented to pass through one 1n applying the brake head to the beam and to serve ytolock the head upon the sleeve laterally. In the lower portion of the bodv of the head and radially to the sleeve ther(` is formcda chamber 19 to receive the two part locking device consisting ot thev thrcaib.

ed wedge 20 and thc tightening wedge 2l, Which latter isfoperateil by means olE a T- headed bolt 22. The teeth 2U" of the block 20 are formed to intermesh with the teeth 15 of the sleeve and by manipulating the Wedge the engagement may be so made. as to frictionally hold the brake head in any ofthe openings lt" or 14".

it .Y It will benbvious from the oiregoing that" rthe chief edventege in'm 1 present impirove- -ment consists initlie emp oyxnent of' elock.-

.adjusted position' under Qinf-*TY Condi" tions et serv-ice. ltjis obvious, hoi/levenf that inebnormel conditions, es for exemple Where' the relation .of the beke heed te the lenge olfl the Wheel is suebitliet the biele shoewonldconteet with the` Wheel only et' e;

-singe Point#` upon the: enlieetion -o -tiie bre e slide and, heed' "tum-Monnet -tlie beam untilthe ferme? comes into beeifing- -iin `:oneens which Will se'vetlle purpose of .ho ding the brake head "end tlfiev shoe ceiiied Athereby in any desired adjusted position and. which' will yield end -entcinfeticelly edjufst itself' under elmolrionelv conditions.' This yielding lies no destructive end but' little Wceing e'ect u cnt'lle .locking meensfsince- 'the holding is eiected by fiviction,A the degree of which is proportionate tothe piessuieex 'ertedby tlie' Wedges.; @i 'course'tis pessible teset. up the Wedges se'tight-es to pe-f ducefrictien to snellen extent es to leek the; breke heed rigidly pesition., but since the Erincipel. Yrequirement is .to mei'ntein the cen-tric to the W 'eel when ont ef conteo@ by.

pese ftl'neugh. 'sei otion et the sleeve flange and seid sleeve sede@ with the teeth 'fbi the' breke beem, seid teeth being srmnged et right englesto the eine of the brake Vhead end unyielfllng Ineens for adjusting the locking block wllerefly the heed. may be xed in sny adjusted position end peimitted tojiotete on the beam sub` .stenjtlelly es described. i The combination with the brele beam having locking teeth o1 serretions extending thereof, oi? e. brake heed. having 'n. meveble locking block puovifded.Withv teeth edepted' :te ennesh with the teeth of the brekelueem,' -endnnyieldmg .means foi` adjusting theloe i ing 'block Wherebythe brake .heed may be' es deeombed.

fixed in en adjusted position 'substantially' The combinetion oiebrelfte beenf'."

,ing lsleeife thereonprovided with circumferentiel bearings end periplierei locking vteeth erienged between seid bearings and et fright englesto the exis lef the sleeve; of e 'brake .heed neming' egmoveble loelmig block provided with teeth edep'ted to engage the teeth 0f. tliesleeve end Wedge ineens for imovin'g'seid block 'whereby to hold the bieke :heed-iin' `adjusted position., substantiellyes described.

enfile combination with e brake benin ef eslre'efe edepted to fit over the end ol" seid '-beem; seidsleeve'heving e. peripheral beer- 4 ing flange intermpted et one or more points,

.di brekeheed neming e cylindrical hub nfl-then inwardly irolecting leyatdepted to ,opening o1.- interrupted Awenig .provided with circumferential teeth 'or sefretion's; end e locking block having teeth ver serretions adapted to engage the 'teeth olf .the sleeve endmeens fovmoving seid block to cause smell' engagement, substantially es described.

H y WiLLifiM E. FeWL'eR, JR'.

'Witnesses2 '.Fnennegcm C. GOODWIN,

Weisen M. FULLER.

Htl 

